Education
Institute of HeartMath Education Applications

Education Applications: Special Needs

ADHD – Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The core symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Although many children and others occasionally have difficulty sitting still, paying attention or controlling impulsive behavior, these symptoms are so persistent in individuals with ADHD that they interfere with daily life.

Children with ADHD generally exhibit significant functional problems at home, school and in various social settings, causing reactions from family members, teachers, fellow students, playmates, etc. Although most people would agree those with ADHD greatly need compassion and care, their disruptive behavior often challenges the patience of those whose care is most critical. It is especially important for people with ADHD to learn self-management skills such as focusing attention, managing activity levels and controlling impulsive behavior.


What You Should Know About ADHD

  • ADHD affects 3% to 7% of school-age children, and 2% to 4% of adults.
  • ADHD is a recognized disorder with severe, lifelong consequences, according to the National Institutes of Health, the Office of the Surgeon General and an international community of clinical researchers, psychiatrists and physicians.
  • Studies over the past 100 years demonstrate that ADHD is a chronic disorder with negative impacts on virtually every aspect of daily functioning – socially, emotionally, academically and in the workplace.
  • Children with ADHD are more likely to drop out of school, rarely complete college, have fewer friends and be involved in antisocial activities more frequently than other children.
  • Changes in special education legislation in the early 1990s increased general awareness of ADHD as a handicapping condition and provided the legal basis for diagnosis and treatment of the disorder in schools. These legal mandates led to more school-based services for children with ADHD.
  • The National Resource Center on ADHD reports that research doesn’t support the popularly held views that ADHD is caused by excessive sugar intake, food additives, excessive viewing of television, poor parenting or social and environmental factors such as poverty or family chaos.

Who Needs HeartMath Research-Based Programs?

  • Children and adults with ADHD symptoms and behavior
  • Parents of children with ADHD
  • Educators who teach children with ADHD
  • Professional caregivers who work with children that have ADHD

How HeartMath Can Help Children and Adults With ADHD

The Institute of HeartMath is a recognized leader in self-management research and solutions. IHM researchers have identified a measurable physiological state that underlies optimal learning and performance. We know that when people shift into this beneficial physiological state through self-management techniques that form the core of the HeartMath System, their emotions are calm, and the brain, nervous system and other bodily systems function with increased synchronization and harmony. In simple terms, the person’s whole being functions more smoothly – physically, mentally and emotionally. This state facilitates the higher cognitive processes critical for focusing attention, reasoning and creativity – all essential for effective learning, academic achievement and social success.


"A twelve-year-old diagnosed with ADHD gets on the (emWave® Desktop for Mac and PC) often to help him focus more and not get in trouble. He is better able to cope with being in the regular classroom."

– Jill Farrell, Elementary School Teacher, Sells, Ariz.


Learning to shift into this beneficial physiological state can positively impact every area of life for people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and HeartMath has had good success helping people diagnosed with ADHD as well as thousands of people around the word with a wide range of debilitating conditions.

Self-regulation is an important element in human development, but it is critical in the development of children with ADHD, who often feel they have no control over their symptoms and therefore over their lives. When these children learn as early as age 6 or 7 that they can manage their own emotions and behavior, it can have a positive impact on the rest of their lives. With a little assistance, young children through adults can master HeartMath’s easy-to-learn techniques, which are designed to help them replace disruptive and destructive emotions with more balanced and creative ones.


IHM Research Publications and Articles Related to ADHD

Institute of HeartMath has published numerous articles and research papers about ADHD over the years. Some examples follow. You also will find a number of articles in HeartMath’s Archived Newsletters that either are about or mention ADHD.

  • Hunter Kane collaborated with Plessington Technical College and CDR Ltd, conducted a study on the effects of a HeartMath program during the 2005/06 academic year with 100 students, ages 10-12 who were "statemented" with ADHD. Read the Study.
  • The Garden of the Heart: HeartMath—The New Biotechnology for Treating Children with ADD/ADHD and Arrhythmia, by Shari St. Martin, Ph.D., ATR Biofeedback Clinic, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. This article gives a practitioner’s account of St. Martin’s success using HeartMath’s techniques and emWave® Desktop for Mac and PC heart-rhythm-coherence feedback system in treating children with ADHD. The report describes how she helped nearly 400 children. Read the Article.
  • Heart Rhythm Coherence: An Emerging Area of Biofeedback, by Rollin McCraty, Ph.D. Heart-rhythm-coherence-feedback training has been successfully used as an intervention for a variety of conditions, including treating children with ADHD. Read the Article.

HeartMath Products for People With ADHD

  • emWave® Desktop for Mac and PC: One of the most powerful ways for an individual to learn how to self-regulate his behavior is to see, in real time, that he or she has the ability to change, and to see those changes reflected on the computer screen, right before their very eyes – and because they did it. Go to: emWave Desktop for Mac and PC.
  • HeartSmarts® Grades 3-5: Through minimal practice and reflection, children develop "habits of the heart" that improve their behavior and help them integrate more successfully into home and classroom environments. Children learn to identify their emotions, recognize situations that trigger outbursts, and are taught a series of tools on how to shift to the heart, for more peace and balance. Children love this program because it enables them to talk about what is most important to them and offers concrete ways to help them feel and perform better. Go to: HeartSmarts Grades 3-5.
  • emWave®2: When an individual has successfully learned how to self-regulate his emotional state with instruction on using the emWave Desktop for Mac and PC, an effective addition to managing the challenges of ADHD is a gadget as small as a cell phone or iPod. The pocket-sized emWave2 measures heart rhythms with a fingertip or ear sensor and responds to changes in physiological and emotional. Go to: emWave2.
  • TestEdge® Interactive CD Learning Program – versions for grades 6-8 and 9-12+: Students with ADHD often do well with computer learning aids because the multimedia approach makes it easy and fun to "pay attention." These interactive learning programs are engaging and provide practical skills that are useful in the classroom and other school settings or at home. It includes short videos featuring true-to-life scenarios about coping with stress and test anxiety. Go to: TestEdge Interactive CD Learning Programs.

Andrew’s Story

Andrew, his mother and his English teacher discuss in their own words Andrew’s transformation after using HeartMath techniques and the emWave® Desktop for Mac and PC Stress Relief System. Andrew was among the participants in the Hunter Kane/Plessington Technical College/CDR Ltd 2005-06 study of students with ADHD.

"When I do HeartMath it makes me happy. It’s really good to cheer me up – if I feel sad I just do it and then I get happy. If I felt like crying before, then I wouldn’t afterwards.

"A boy from my year punched me when I was waiting outside Geography. This girl told the teacher and then she sent me to her office. I was sitting there waiting and wanted to cry. I did HeartMath and I was happy again."

– Andrew, Age 11

"I have seen a great change in Andrew’s behaviour at home. Getting to sleep has always been a problem. He never used to go to bed himself; he would stay up until he dropped. Now he uses the CD to get himself to sleep. Andrew has always had a short fuse; he doesn’t take no very easily. Now he seems to be on a more even keel. It has made our home life much easier."

– Andrew’s Mother

"Andrew appears to be getting on with others in the classroom more. He has always struggled with peer relationships and remains quite odd, but he makes more of an effort now and the others are more willing to sit with him as a result. He wanders round the classroom less, and seems better within himself."

– Andrew’s English Teacher


For more comments and information about the study, go to the Hunter Kane Study.

Funding Tips for Educators:

  • The following list provides information about a variety of federal, state and private education funding sources for schools, districts and individuals interested in purchasing IHM programs and products: Funding Sources.
  • The following page gives information about the IHM Heart-Based Education Sponsorship Fund and how you can apply to be a recipient: Scholarship Fund.